TOPIC

Mental health research

Everything we have read on mental health. Each paper is summarised from the full article rather than its abstract, so the limitations are in there too, and the funding wherever the paper declares it.

396 PAPERS · PAGE 4 OF 8 · NEWEST FIRST

• RNSystematic Review2026Structural Vulnerability in Health Research: A Systematic Mixed Studies Review.Journal of advanced nursingDefinitions of structural vulnerability were consistent across thirty-seven U.S. studies, but measurement varied. Quantitative work often used individual indicators such as housing, food insecurity and criminal justice experiences, while qualitative work focused on upstream systems.
• PTOTRNCohort2026Healing at Home: Receipt of Home Health Care and Patient-Centered Outcomes Among Older Adults After Acute Myocardial Infarction.Journal of the American Medical Directors AssociationHome health care after AMI made no significant difference to days not at home in older adults. It was linked to a lower chance of a 5-point or greater physical health status decline.
• RNQualitative2025'Remember, You Are Not Alone': A Qualitative Internet-Mediated Study of Anxiety Among Adolescents on Reddit.International journal of mental health nursingAdolescents with anxiety turned to Reddit because they feared stigma from family and found professional support inadequate. They used the platform to seek advice, narrate their distress, and find comfort in anonymous peers who validated their experiences and shared coping strategies.
• OTRNQualitative2025Experiences and Perceptions of Functional Recovery in Late-Life Depression: A Qualitative Study.International journal of mental health nursingOlder adults recovering from depression described functional recovery as pushing through low motivation, accepting changed abilities, managing pain and fatigue, and relying on routines, family, pets and feeling understood.
• RNCohort2026Acute Stress and Need for Psychological Follow-Up Care in Parents of Children Treated at the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit.Nursing in critical careBefore discharge, no parent, child, or treatment factor tested in the final model was linked to acute stress disorder, although 63.5% of parents met its criteria. Parents at PTSD risk reported needing follow-up care eight times more often.
• RNSystematic Review2026Evaluating School-Based Substance Use Services: Insights From a Systematic Review.The Journal of school healthSchool-based substance use services generally produced lower self-reported use, improved attitudes, and sometimes fewer missed classes in nine included studies. CRAFFT and motivational interviewing were common, but evidence was limited.
• RNQualitative2025Women's Experiences with a Perinatal Peer Support Specialist Program.MCN. The American journal of maternal child nursingWomen with perinatal mental health symptoms valued a virtual peer support specialist who did not know them, shared lived experience, and offered resources. They said having someone to talk to helped their mental health feel better, but this is not evidence the program works.
• RNSystematic Review2026Identifying Indigenous People's Grieving and Funeral Practices as Components for Establishing a Grief Support Framework: An Integrative Literature Review.Journal of psychiatric and mental health nursingGrief support for Indigenous people relies on collective community involvement, specific traditional and ancestral rituals, and open expression of emotion. Nurses must ask about these cultural practices rather than assuming standard hospital bereavement protocols fit the family's needs.
• PTOTRNCohort2025Community Cardiac Rehabilitation Program: Lessons Learned for Long-Term Outcomes.Worldviews on evidence-based nursingSix months after cardiac rehabilitation, patients continued to improve walking distance and kept waist size down, but blood pressure, weight, BMI, depression, physical activity and medication adherence worsened. Diet and smoking gains held.
• RNSurvey2026The Differential Impact of Emotional Support on Social Problem-Solving and Mental Health Among Latina Immigrant Survivors of Adverse Childhood Experiences.Research in nursing & healthAmong Latina immigrant women with childhood trauma, emotional support was associated with better problem-solving for some trauma profiles and lower depression and anxiety for others, but it did not buffer all symptoms equally.
• RNCohort2025Diastolic dysfunction in primary care: medical and nursing interlocutions.Revista brasileira de enfermagemIn primary-care adults, E/A ratio abnormality was not linked to cardiovascular hospitalization or death once age and sex were considered, although 84.9% of participants had E/A alterations without a formal heart failure diagnosis.
• RNCohort2026Treatment Adherence and Recurrence of Suicidal Behaviour in a Cohort of Suicide Attempters in a Nurse-Led Suicide Prevention Programme.Journal of psychiatric and mental health nursingAbout half of suicide attempters completed a year of nurse-led follow-up alongside usual mental health care. Those who completed had fewer repeat attempts in the first year and fewer psychiatric admissions, but the study had no control group.
• RNOther2025Trajectory and determinants of family resilience in caregivers of preterm infants: A mixed-methods study.International journal of nursing sciencesFamily resilience in caregivers of preterm infants followed a V-shaped pattern, dropping to its lowest point at three months before recovering by six months. Resilience was linked to coping style, family functioning, and social support, not to the infant's gestational age or birth weight.
• RNQualitative2025Mindfulness practices for alleviating distress among postpartum women.Revista brasileira de enfermagemPostpartum women in a high-risk maternity hospital described eight mindfulness sessions as bringing calm, less crying, less pain and guilt, and closer connection to their babies. These are their experiences, not proof the practice works.
• RNSurvey2026Gender Differences in Psychological Strengths Among Rural Adolescents.Journal of child and adolescent psychiatric nursing : official publication of the Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nurses, IncRural Texas adolescents reported low optimism and resilience, with males scoring higher than females and non-binary peers on most strengths. These differences were small and the study is cross-sectional, so it identifies a risk group but does not prove interventions work.
• RNSystematic Review2025Mobile applications offering non-pharmacological therapies aimed at improving the quality of life of cancer patients: a scoping review.Revista brasileira de enfermagemSeven studies mapped apps delivering mindfulness, guided imagery or Tai Chi to cancer patients; most reported less anxiety and depression and some quality of life gains. The review does not prove which app or therapy caused the benefit.
• RNSystematic Review2025Assessment of anxiety and psychological stress among expectant parents during pregnancy: a scoping review.Revista brasileira de enfermagemMost tools for assessing anxiety and stress in pregnancy were used with pregnant women, not expectant fathers. Nurses can consider these tools in maternity care, but evidence for screening fathers is limited.
• RNSurvey2025A Survey of ECT Recipients, Family Members and Friends: Are the Self-Reported Reasons for The Recipients' Problems Being Addressed?International journal of mental health nursingMost ECT recipients believed childhood trauma or recent stress caused their condition, yet fewer than half said mental health staff asked about these factors. Even fewer said the issues were addressed therapeutically. Practice appears to be improving slowly over time.
• RNSurvey2025Informal Caregiving in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation and Multimorbidity: A Cross-European Study of Caregiver Burden, Health-Related Quality of Life, and Caregiver Engagement.The Journal of cardiovascular nursingInformal caregivers of people with atrial fibrillation and other long-term conditions reported moderate burden and anxiety, but typical self-rated health was 80 out of 100. Higher engagement was linked with less burden and better health.
• RNOther2025Recommended nursing care for people with mental disorders in mobile prehospital care: a scoping review.Revista brasileira de enfermagem27 recommended nursing practices were mapped for mental health emergencies in mobile prehospital care: scene safety, assessment, verbal de-escalation, restraint only as last resort, and monitoring.
• RNOther2025Adaptation and content validity of the Brazilian version of the Mental Health Literacy questionnaire.Revista brasileira de enfermagemA Brazilian Portuguese mental health literacy questionnaire for young adults was adapted, judged understandable, and takes 15 to 30 minutes. It may be used by nurses to assess mental health literacy, but further testing is needed before scores can be trusted.
• RNSurvey2026Do Injury, Depression, and PTSD Mediate the Relationships Between Latent Profiles of Cumulative Lifetime Violence and Chronic Pain Disability in Men?Research in nursing & healthCanadian men reporting severe lifetime violence as both targets and perpetrators had the highest chronic pain disability; PTSD and injuries were associated with pain disability, depression was not.
• RNCohort2026The OCTO-Plus Intervention to Support Families of Chronically Critically Ill Children in Paediatric Critical Care: A Pilot Study.Nursing in critical careParents of chronically critically ill children in paediatric critical care could be recruited and kept in a nurse and physician-delivered family support pilot; stress, anxiety, depression and family functioning scores trended better, but it did not test whether the support works.
• RNQualitative2026Implementing Peer Support in Community Mental Health Nursing Teams: Qualitative Evaluation.Journal of psychiatric and mental health nursingSwiss community mental health nursing teams found clients expressed feeling understood and hopeful with peer support workers, while unclear roles, low hours, billing gaps and weak team understanding limited integration.
• RNOther2025Adolescents' Mental Well-Being and Social Support: Mixed Methods Study.International journal of mental health nursingAdolescents' mental well-being drops as they age, with family support mattering most in primary school and friends taking over in secondary school. School nurses are seen as approachable experts, but interactions remain informal and unstructured rather than part of formal care.
• RNSystematic Review2025Disordered eating behaviors in people with type 1 diabetes mellitus: a scoping review.Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da U S PSkipping insulin to lose weight was the most common disordered eating behavior in people with type 1 diabetes. Binge eating and restriction were also reported, and these behaviors were linked to high HbA1c, high BMI, body dissatisfaction, depression, anxiety, and distress.
• RNCohort2026Integrating Psychosocial Screening Into Cardiac Nursing: Feasibility of Nurse-Led Type D Personality Assessment for Predicting Emotional Recovery in Coronary Care Unit Patients.Nursing in critical careIn 110 coronary care patients, Type D personality was linked to anxiety and depression, and avoidant coping was linked to depression and total distress.
• RNCase Report2026Family Partnership in Hypnosis to Improve Mechanical Ventilation Weaning in an ICU Patient With High Cervical Spinal Cord Injury-A Case Report.Nursing in critical careA sedated patient with high cervical spinal cord injury could not speak, so his mother supplied sensory details for hypnosis scripts; he reported comfort during a trial, but this single case cannot show hypnosis caused weaning.
• RNSurvey2026Gender Identity, Victimization, and Suicidal Ideation: Comparing Risk Factors Among Transgender and Non-Transgender Youth.The Journal of school health47.1% of transgender youth and 17.1% of non-transgender youth reported seriously considering suicide in the past 12 months. Bullying and victimization were also linked to risk, but this survey cannot show cause.
• RNOther2025Maternal and neonatal factors associated with exclusive breastfeeding upon hospital discharge.Revista brasileira de enfermagemIn a tertiary Ecuadorian hospital, 91.55% of discharged newborns were exclusively breastfed. Exclusive breastfeeding was less likely with illicit substance use, tobacco use, hypertension, cesarean, anesthesia, multiple birth, low weight, low 5-minute Apgar, and cleft lip/palate.
• RNCohort2025Breastfeeding during the COVID-19 pandemic and associated factors: a risk to sustainable development.Revista brasileira de enfermagemBreastfeeding lasted 5.2 months total and 3.2 months exclusively among São Paulo mother-baby pairs during the pandemic. Early pacifier use, first-month feeding difficulty, and early formula introduction were linked to shorter breastfeeding.
• RNSurvey2026Health Outcomes of Women on Community Supervision in South Central Texas During the Perinatal Period.Journal of obstetric, gynecologic, and neonatal nursing : JOGNNSixty Texas women on community supervision reported high rates of unplanned pregnancy, partner violence, depression or anxiety, and limited birth support. Longer supervision was linked to more adverse perinatal outcomes, but not with gestational age.
• RNPilot2026Culturally Adapted Lifestyle and Mental Health Intervention for Low-Income Pregnant Women: A Feasibility Study.Western journal of nursing researchAdapted COPE was feasible and acceptable for low-income pregnant women. Lifestyle beliefs, lifestyle behaviors, and anxiety improved, while perceived stress did not change significantly. Online retention was higher, but depression scores rose again postpartum in online participants.
• RNOther2026Discrimination Against Immigrant Latina Mothers Associated With Pro-Inflammatory Gene Expression in Their Preschool-Aged Children.Biological research for nursingPreschool children whose mothers reported frequent discrimination had higher expression of pro-inflammatory genes. This association persisted after adjusting for maternal depression and child body mass index, suggesting a biological link between maternal stress and child immune activity.
• PTRNRCT2025The Effects of a Technology-Assisted Hybrid Cardiac Rehabilitation (TecHCR) Program for Adults With Coronary Heart Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Worldviews on evidence-based nursingA nurse-led hybrid cardiac rehab program improved exercise self-efficacy more than center-based rehab at 12 and 24 weeks. It also improved health-promoting behaviors and anxiety, but not exercise capacity, depression, or cardiovascular risk factors.
• RNOther2026Maternal stress in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A concept analysis.Japan journal of nursing science : JJNSFor NICU nurses, maternal stress includes guilt, feeling stuck and vague anxiety about the future, not only anxiety or depression. Staff communication and support can ease or worsen it, so assessment should cover separation, alarms and parental-role barriers.
• RNSurvey2026Gender Difference in the Caregiving Burden and Psychological Distress of Family Caregivers of Liver Transplant Recipients.Nursing openBurden did not differ by gender, but women reported higher distress; burden was linked to distress, and men's depression and stress rose more as burden increased.
• PTOTRNCohort2026Lagged effects of risk factors on the disability of older adults: A distributed lag non-linear model approach.International journal of nursing sciencesRisk factors for disability in older adults follow three distinct timelines. Functional limitations like walking difficulty cause immediate harm within one year, while conditions like depression and hospitalization exert a cumulative burden over three to four years.
• SLPRNQualitative2026Patient Perspectives on Inpatient Mealtimes: Insights on Swallowing, Mental Wellbeing and Recovery.International journal of mental health nursingThirteen adults on mental health wards described shared dining as stressful, crowded and controlling, with queues, fixed menus and staff supervision reducing choice. Some linked anxiety to faster eating and greater choking worries.
• RNMeta-Analysis2025Does health-related quality of life change across pregnancy trimesters? A systematic review and meta-analysis.Women's health nursing (Seoul, Korea)Across 13 studies of 4,809 pregnant women, overall health-related quality of life did not differ between first and second or first and third trimesters, but was lower in the third than the second.
• RNCohort2025Maternal depression over 7 years postpartum: trajectories and multidimensional predictors in a longitudinal cohort study.Women's health nursing (Seoul, Korea)Over 7 years, 55.6% of mothers had elevated depression risk at some point, although scores did not change clearly over time. Prenatal symptoms, preterm or low-birth-weight infants, stress, low self-esteem, and marital conflict were linked to risk.
• RNQualitative2026Parents' Experiences of Having an Adolescent With a Mental Disorder Admitted to a Public Hospital's Psychiatric Unit.Journal of nursing scholarship : an official publication of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of NursingParents of adolescents admitted to a public hospital psychiatric unit in South Africa described grief, anxiety, physical stress, stigma, and feeling unsupported. Prayer and church helped, but they wanted clear information about diagnosis, medication, and discharge.
• RNSurvey2026The Impact of Perceived Stress on Depression Among Caregivers of Children With Enterostomy: The Moderating and Mediating Effects of Resilience and Perceived Social Support.Nursing openCaregivers of children with temporary stomas who felt more stress also reported more depression symptoms. Resilience was linked to part of this connection. Social support was linked to lower depression, but the study cannot show cause.
• RNQualitative2026Patient Experiences of a Recovery-Oriented Nursing Programme in Inpatient Psychiatric Care: A Qualitative Study.Journal of psychiatric and mental health nursingIn psychiatric wards, patients said nurse-led recovery groups felt useful when sessions were voluntary, structured, and led by attentive staff. Patients described the workbook and diary as tools to focus thoughts, plan for discharge, and continue strategies after leaving hospital.
• RNSurvey2026Synthetic Cannabinoid Use and Sports-Related Concussion Risk Among US Adolescents: Implications for School Health Screening and Prevention.The Journal of school healthUS adolescents who had ever used synthetic cannabinoids were more likely to report a past-year sports-related concussion in a survey sample of 27,482 students. The link remained after accounting for alcohol, marijuana, mood, sleep, and demographics.
• RNOther2026Postoperative Consequences of Fear and Anxiety in Open Heart Surgery: A Comparative Analysis of Two Patient Groups.The journal of nursing research : JNRReferral and nonreferral cardiac surgery patients had similar postoperative pain and similar preoperative anxiety and fear. In referral patients, fear was linked to pain, and anxiety was linked to discharge time, but no treatment was tested.
• RNOther2025Psychometric testing of the Korean version of the Wijma Delivery Expectancy Questionnaire: a methodological study.Women's health nursing (Seoul, Korea)The Korean W-DEQ gives nurses a 26-item way to ask pregnant women about fear of childbirth, but it does not show that screening changes birth or mental health outcomes.
• RNSurvey2026Association between rheumatology patients' beliefs about medicines and treatment adherence.Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da U S PRheumatology patients who worried more about their medicines reported following treatment less closely. Concern about medication use was linked to lower adherence. Ask about medication fears before judging non-adherence.
• RNQualitative2026'In the Midst of a Thunderstorm': Young People's Experiences of Physical Restraint in Inpatient Mental Health Services in the UK.International journal of mental health nursingYoung people aged 10-13 described inpatient physical restraint as frightening and confusing. Fear built before contact, restraint felt like losing control, and distress lingered afterward, often without helpful debrief.
• RNOther2026Impact of the 'Reserved Therapeutic Space' Nursing Intervention on Acute Mental Health Inpatients' Perceptions of the Therapeutic Relationship, Quality of Care, Perceived Coercion and Length of Stay: A Multicentre Quasi-Experimental Trial.Journal of psychiatric and mental health nursingNurses using a 'Reserved Therapeutic Space' intervention saw patients report stronger therapeutic relationships, higher perceived quality of care, and less coercion. Length of stay also decreased, with patients in the intervention group discharged faster than those in usual care units.